pics from my solo 3-days/2-nighter.

[JV3]

arrived at my spot early friday morning. the temp forecast was just above freezing and clear so i setup my shelter just to block the wind. first time using my bcusa 10'x10' tarp...it's huge!

since my iphone is my only hiking camera nowadays and needed a way to recharge it i brought along a new gadget to play with - goalzero nomad 7 solar charger. my review here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/909365-review-goalzero-nomad-7-solar-charger-amp-battery-pack.

i didn't gather any firewood yet and it was way too early to start the camp fire so i cooked my lunch with the jetboil - spam & noodles

time to start building the fire pit and kitchen area.

i love to cook (at home and on the trail) and with a kitchen setup like this, i knew it was going to be an awesome trip!

view of my camp's left side.

with a full belly, it was time to gather materials for the night's camp fire. perfect spot - birch and beech trees were everywhere.

man, it looks like a jet engine! no artificial accelerants or fatwood was used. just twigs, birch bark and beech leaves arranged carefully.

aahhh...life is good!

 

[JV3]

saturday morning...the shelter was facing directly east - nothing like a perfect night's sleep and watching the sun rise!

the fire died out in the middle of the night but i didn't notice it. i was cozy and after watching the sun rise i went back and dozed off until 11 am

i still had plenty of fire prep from the day before to get the logs going if i wanted to.

my red bear bag was way down the base of the hill. there are only two things i have that are red - first aid kit and food kit. that way it's easy for me to keep track of them and not accidentally leave food & garbage laying around my camp.

i really like this combo on a cold morning. that clif shot gel contains 100 mg of caffeine. us mountain bikers consume these a lot

my top 5.

i did bring a folding saw in case i feel lazy.

time to start gathering more firewood and do some wandering around. i always bring a bare bones kit with me just in case.

score! i found this log just 100 yds or so from camp.

wintergreen everywhere...starting to give me ideas.

anyone know what plant this is?

my favorite 4" knife.

alright, got my curiosity satisfied at the moment so it was time to get chopping.

my favorite pair for the winter.

had a few close calls while mountain biking so i wear eye protection even when chopping now too.

hollow, standing tree. none of the pics came out well...cell phone camera, oh well.

did some more wandering around. this had a nice pattern to it unfortunately it was too short otherwise i would've made a hiking staff out of it.

found another type of tinder...sweetness.

a much smaller stream to the left of my shelter, close to where the big log was.

what kind of tree is this on the left? i'm guessing it's in the birch family since it has that smooth gray look but no peeling bark.

no idea what kind of vine this is but the bark was just falling off of it. perfect tinder so i couldn't help but grab a handful.

unlike the day before, this day was mostly cloudy and really dark clouds started rolling in. i quickly gathered the wood chips before going back to camp - why waste it, right?

no, that's not dandruff. despite how ominous the clouds looked it was just a minor hailstorm that lasted for a few minutes.

back at camp, what was once a too big 10'x10' tarp is now a perfect size for me after all. had the rain come down hard the tarp would've kept at least a day's worth of firewood perfectly dry if needed along with the rest of my stuff.

 

[JV3]

bear bag.

on my way to get water i found another birch tree.

alright, it's time to stop gathering tinder every time i pass by a source...my pocket was stuffed to the max!

you can barely see my shelter up there. this is another small stream.

more wintergreen. i trust you guys when you said it's edible so this time i said what the heck and ate the berries. maybe it's too late in the season and these were smaller than the ones i saw on previous hikes but it wasn't anything sweet...it was just okay, almost flavorless. i chewed on the leaves a little too and it had a slight hint of mint.

more firewood for future outings.

my main water source. the pic doesn't show how fast moving it is and loud.

i was happy i remembered to bring a large, empty water jug this time around. going back and forth to fill up a nalgene bottle gets old fast especially in our hilly, rocky terrain.

time for lunch!

i had to ration that soda for 3 whole days...it was brutal!

it was already close to freezing and the night time forecast was in the low 20s so i added a heat reflector to my shelter.

i used a snake's mouth twig to thread the paracord through the rock anchors.

piled more debris on the shelter's backside for added insulation.

i carved a couple of wedges and with paracord i built a pulley system and moved these rocks in place no problem

beefed-up shelter - check. clean water - check. firewood - check...it was time to start gathering some wintergreen for tea.

more garbage, sigh. i'll spare you the big pile of it closer to the trail. i'm estimating it'll take me at least 5 more hikes in this area to completely clean it out.

chopped up the wintergreen leaves to bring out the oils more.

i left it there to steep for several hours.

 

[JV3]

firewood stash for the day. it's like money, i burn less wood than i bring in and each subsequent day i don't need to gather as much and have more time to wander around. this is why i'm starting to favor doing multi-day outings instead of the standard overnighter.

poor guy. aside from the axe, the folding saw did the most work and yet it didn't even make it into my top 5 group pic someday when i'm old and can't carry the massive pack weight anymore it'll be the king in my ultralight gear list.

time for more water. i was drinking literally 2 gallons a day my pee was so clear i could've bottled it up and sold as spring water that's my water jug in front of that boulder for scale.

aside from chopping wood, sitting next to the water just listening and enjoying the solitude was what i did most of the time...priceless.

it was 4:30 pm and the sun was setting (i had plenty of fresh water so no need to drink my own pee ) - time for the 2nd night's camp fire. instead of beech leaves, i decided to scrape birch bark this time to catch the spark.

i keep forgetting birch bark burns like it was doused in gasoline i had to quickly open up my shelter a bit away from the massive flames.

entertainment for the night - hunting vampires

time to warm up that wintergreen tea that was steeping all day. just like the berries, the taste wasn't nearly what i expected. slight hint of mint but it was just so-so. at least you guys are right and i'm still alive

dinner was spam and noodles.

gotta have hot sauce! this also shows my small mod to my msr pot to add the ability to hang it. i'm really liking those pots - very versatile!

the wire hook i made for the msr pot. it's just a hook to hold the handle and lock in a triangular shape.

my hygiene kit. the water sprayer contained isopropyl alcohol - it's what i used to clean my cooking utensils and hands most of the time. first time using a rinse-free soap too although it was way cold so i only used it on my hair and face. i did change underwear!

camping is the only time when watching water boil is actually enjoyable!

warming up my late night energy bar snack before going to sleep.

did i say "life is good!" already? it is.

 

[JV3]

i woke up sunday morning to frozen water. the low at night was 21 deg f - the cold woke me up since my thermarest inflatable pad completely lost air. i should've known the first time it happened earlier in the night wasn't a fluke.

another lesson learned: i should've hanged my most used stuff early on day 1, not the 2nd night when i was looking for my sleeping pad patch kit. i didn't see any obvious holes though, even now examining it at home but it'll lose air over several hours so it's a goner for me...won't trust inflatables again.

the crappy night's sleep got me cranky so i just used a bic to light the camp fire.

i left water in the pot since i knew it was going to freeze overnight so it'll be ready to go the next day.

whoops!

i heard about starbucks via and wanted to try it...maybe i'm just not a coffee drinker but to me it tasted so-so. i prefer caffeine gel shots.

spamwich for breakfast...i didn't think it was possible but by this time i was getting sick of it! next time i'll bring more variety.

the water inside the camelbak insulated hose froze too but surprisingly the main compartment stayed liquid. i guess their insulation works, at least up to the low 20s.

perfectly clear blue sky sunday morning. mother nature lulls you into relaxing too much and bamn! a widow maker falls on you.

on my way to the stream to get water to douse the coals and i stumbled upon these bones.

blobs of ice formed overnight.

i left a good pile of firewood for the next lucky hiker...if i don't come back and use it up soon.

...probably my best trip so far.

 

[Brian Sargent]

I remember when I was able to haul a load like that ......... not any more!

Well ... maybe a few miles but not the 20 milers that I used to do.

I always enjoy your adventure threads bro!

 

[brewcitymike]

Nice pics and a really nice set up. I've yet to try a solo trip myself, but I'm a fan solitude so I think it would be fun. Can't wait to see parts 2-5:thumbup:

 

[Battle Creek Knives]

Awesome pics... loving the spam action...

I know you didn't cut up that wood with the bushcrafter, maybe some shots of the axe in [placeholder 2] ??

Off to check out your review on that solar charger !!! nice.........

 

[TheGame]

Looks like you had some fun out there. I see you packed the Junglas and the Lite Machete out.. which one do you like more?

 

[Mistwalker]

Looks like a great trip!! I love the shelter area, great spot. While I'm normally a major fan of all our rain and mists, after days of rain I wouldn't mind a few even semi dry days...

 

[KuRUpTD]

Great pics and trip report bro ... looks like a sweet spot, where was that ?

 

[JV3]

I remember when I was able to haul a load like that ......... not any more!

Well ... maybe a few miles but not the 20 milers that I used to do.

I always enjoy your adventure threads bro!

thanks, bro! if it's any indication, i started noting down each gear's weight for the inevitable conversion to lightweight.

Nice pics and a really nice set up. I've yet to try a solo trip myself, but I'm a fan solitude so I think it would be fun. Can't wait to see parts 2-5:thumbup:

thanks, mike. you definitely need to try going solo - i always see deer and other animals and they're oblivious to the fact that i'm only a few feet away.

Awesome pics... loving the spam action...

I know you didn't cut up that wood with the bushcrafter, maybe some shots of the axe in [placeholder 2] ??

Off to check out your review on that solar charger !!! nice.........

thanks, rob. the axe was the most used tool that day, followed by the folding saw. i used the machete to clear the campsite - it's actually pretty serrated right now with all the rocks i couldn't avoid hitting, haha. the rest were just there for the photo op especially the junglas since i might sell that one soon. i just don't have a use for it anymore.

Looks like you had some fun out there. I see you packed the Junglas and the Lite Machete out.. which one do you like more?

i prefer the lite machete hands down! except for splitting wood, the junglas has no advantage. well, except maybe for giving me a false sense of security around camp against wild animals or meth heads. for purely bushcraft, it's more like should i take the machete or the axe.

Looks like a great trip!! I love the shelter area, great spot. While I'm normally a major fan of all our rain and mists, after days of rain I wouldn't mind a few even semi dry days...

thanks, mist! this area has a lot of those rock walls but not sure why that specific spot has a squared off area in that size. in the back of my mind, i was hoping i didn't stumble upon an old grave site! as for rain, i'll pass but i am looking forward to some camping in the snow though. i already picked up a packable shovel last night in anticipation...i love being outside in the snow.

Great pics and trip report bro ... looks like a sweet spot, where was that ?

thanks, bro. harriman - very close to the spot i overnighted in with riley and tony.

 

[crossada]

Another great picture thread. Thanks for sharing it.

I love the melted nalgene pic

 

[PropThePolecat]

Looks like a nice trip bro and great selection of gear and tools.

Regarding your mat, air decreases in volume as it cools, maybe you mat wasnt fully inflated from the start? Ive tried it myself in subzero temps, but it wasnt anything a few hard blows didnt fix. Now i inflate it as soon as i set up camp, and reinflate it just before i hit the sack. Most mats are pretty robust, i have no qualms trusting them.

what kind of tree is this on the left? i'm guessing it's in the birch family since it has that smooth gray look but no peeling bark.

Yep, thats a birch tree.

 

[mewolf1]

The "what's this plant" looks like Gold Thread. Next time root it up real easy-like and see if the roots are Yellow, and i mean Yellow
One of the best for chancre sores:thumbup:

 

[Fonly]

good spot man, looks like a fantastic area. what style of pants have ya got there?

 

[upnorth]

Wonderful post. From the look of those old foundations ?, I would have brought my metal detector along, probably find some old coins.

 

[pbonanza]

awesome thread and wonderful pics. Thanks alot.

 

[gregorio]

Thanks for taking the time to post, looks like a fun weekend

 

[kgd]

Great thread. No spark holes in the tarp I trust?